Paying for Our Passion – Amanda Bridgeman

In this series of guest posts, I have asked a number of writers and editors to share the price they pay for pursuing their creative passion or what they sacrifice–whether that is money, time or lost opportunities. It might be how they pay the bills that writing doesn’t, or how they juggle working for a living or raising a family with the time it takes to write or edit. The people who have contributed have shared their personal stories in the hope it might help those new to the scene manage their expectations, or help others dealing with similar things realise they aren’t alone. You can read about the inspiration for this series here, and if you want to be part of it please let me know.

This week we feature the wonderful Amanda Bridgeman, and get to help her celebrate a very special day–the launch of her new book, Aurora:Centralis! Amanda is the middle of a whirlwind book tour, and you can find out more here.

I’ve only been a writer for about seven years now. The first four years consisted of me just sitting with my laptop and writing a bunch of novels with no thought past just getting them out of my head and onto the page. The last three years, however, after I made the decision to try and get published, have been a busier. And with that increase in workload, choices have had to be made.

My first book was published in May 2012 and this week marks the release for my fourth book, just under three years later. With each book released, the busier I became. It wasn’t just a matter of getting the next book ready for submission or editing it for publication, but there’s the marketing and promotion that comes along with it too (and if you’re not going to market your book, then why bother getting published in the first place, I say). I’ve always been a believer that you should ride the wave while it’s there, because if you don’t, you may never catch another one. So I have held on tight to this Aurora wave and run with it!

A lot of the writers have children to contend with aside from everything else in their lives. I don’t. I’m single with no children, and some might think, ‘well hey, you’ve got all the time in the world, right?’. The answer is actually, no, I don’t. Granted, I probably do technically have more time than those with kids, but I still struggle to find the time to juggle all the balls of life, just like anyone else. I don’t have a partner to support me through this journey, nor halve the bills or chores around the house. I am it, so if something needs to be done, then I have to do it, and if I have a bad day, then I alone have to deal with it.

I work a busy day job where I manage several staff and am PA to the Regional Manager. Some days I come home and I’m just knackered, sometimes physically, but usually mentally. And you kind of need mental energy to write . . . When I first started writing, I was so inspired, I’d come home from a day at work and crack out the laptop and start writing at 6pm, then keep going until 11pm or so, then go to bed. But I found that sometimes I couldn’t switch my brain off from thinking about various plotlines. I would lie awake staring at the ceiling, or watching the clock tick over. Four or five hours later the alarm would go off, and I’d get up and head back into the day job. That may sound like plenty of sleep to some, but it wasn’t enough for me to balance working two jobs – the day job and the writing job.

After a while this schedule wore me down. I realised that I was going into the day job tired every day, and that just wasn’t fair on my employer. Especially when it was that job that was paying my mortgage (I have no one to lean on to pay the bills, remember!). I had to reassess what I was doing and learn to take better care of myself. I started limiting myself to 2-3 hours of writing/editing after work and force myself (yes, force myself) to relax by either watching TV or reading for at least an hour every night before I went to bed. My body thanked me. And I’m pretty sure the day job thanked me too. Some days I still come home tired and have to give up a night of working on the books, because I’ve learned to listen to my body and give it a rest when it needs to. It still sucks like hell when I give up a night of writing, because I know I have to wait another 24 hours until I’ll get the chance again, but working 12-15 hour days, day in and day out (weekends too), isn’t good for anyone. Trust me.

Along with the busy day job, and working nights and weekends on the books, I also spend my 4 weeks annual leave a year travelling to various conventions and basically using them as ‘working holidays’. Sure, I enjoy doing it, but they still can be pretty full-on and physically/mentally taxing. And if I’m not using my holidays to travel to conventions, then I’m using the time to edit or write and meet deadlines. It is my choice to do this, of course, and I do it because I am passionate about my books. Regardless, if I want go to conventions and promote my books and meet my readers, I have no choice but to use my annual leave, and the days run out pretty fast. I sometimes actually fantasize about using my annual leave for, you know, a real holiday. Like lying on a beach somewhere and doing absolutely nothing…

As a writer, aside from writing, editing, and promoting, you also need to keep your finger on the pulse of popular culture. That means you need to find the time to be reading, watching TV and watching films. Sounds great, right? Except it’s not quite the same as a ‘normal’ person just deciding to watch movie or read a book on a whim. Although I love it, I do feel obligated to check out the latest films and TV shows and books, because, well, it would be kind of irresponsible of me not to. And so, in what little ‘free’ time I have, I need to schedule in time for checking out all these films/shows/books. Luckily I enjoy most of what I read and watch, but sometimes I do feel as though I don’t really get to do it at my own leisure.

Aside from exhaustion, writing can affect the social side of your life too. Luckily, pretty much all of my friends are married with kids, so their time is limited as well. My books, at the moment, are my kids, so between us, finding time to catch-up is rare. So in the ‘precious’ writing/editing/promotion/pop-culture time I have on nights and weekends, I also need to slot in the occasional catch up with friends and family. And I’ve mentioned that I’m single, right? Try finding time for dating!

When I first came out of my writing closet I was surprised by how supportive people seemed. Although, when I look back now, I think they saw it only as a hobby. I think that they were polite about me pursing this as a ‘real’ thing, as a profession, thinking it would go no further than just me ‘playing around’. But they underestimated my drive. With each book that was published, bit by bit the attitudes changed. I could see it, I could sense it. Although they had been supportive, I don’t think they ever really took it seriously. But a few chart toppings and an Aurealis nomination later, I now sense a stronger acceptance of what I’m doing. The realisation has sunk in, I think, that, yes, this writing thing is actually real. I am in this with the whole of my heart and soul; I’m serious and passionate about my writing. Despite how tiring or demanding it can be, I don’t see writing as a time-suck in my life. It has singularly given me more satisfaction than anything else I can think of.

So like any other writer, yes, I’m pretty damn busy. I’ve sacrificed leisure/relaxing time, sacrificed a busier social/dating life, have spent my spare cash and annual leave on travelling to conventions and marketing my books instead of a new wardrobe or exotic holiday or dining in fancy restaurants, and I’ve fought to prove how serious I am about writing, despite the polite doubt that surrounded me. But that’s life. We all have choices to make, and I have made mine. I am happy with my choices, and the real trick to happiness is not to spend any time considering what others might think about them. No matter how hard that is to do. Your life is your own, so live it your way. Time is too precious not to.

About Amanda

Born and raised in the seaside/country town of Geraldton, Western Australia, I hail from fishing and farming stock. The youngest of four children, my three brothers raised me on a diet of Rocky, Rambo, Muhammad Ali and AC/DC. Naturally, I grew up somewhat of a tomboy, preferring to watch action/sci-fi films over the standard rom-com, and liking my music rock hard. But that said, I can swoon with the best of them and I’m really not a fan of bugs.

I lived in ‘Gero’ for 17 years, before moving to Perth (WA) to pursue my dreams and study film & television/creative writing at Murdoch University (BA Communication Studies). Perth has been my home ever since, aside from a nineteen month stint in London (England).

I am a writer and a film buff. I love most genres, but am particularly fond of the spec-fic realm. I like action, epic adventures, and strong characters that draw you in and make you want to follow them on their wild, roller coaster rides.

My debut novel Aurora:Darwin was published with Momentum in May 2013, and the sequel Aurora: Pegasus was released in December 2013. Book three in the Aurora series – Aurora: Meridian–was released worldwide on September 11, 2014.

More sci-fi books (both in and out of the Aurora series) are in the works, so stay tuned!